More security for Deerfield, Highland Park high schools

Officials say knowing who is in the building protects students, staff

District 113 Superintendent George Fornero at a recent school board meeting. (Denys Bucksten, Chicago Tribune)

Officials plan to add $400,000 of enhanced security at the entrances to Highland Park and Deerfield high schools in coming months.

An armed guard will also be posted soon at Deerfield High School, like the one that Highland Park already has, officials said.

But officials stress that knowing who is in the buildings at all times is the safety feature that best protects students and staff.

District 113 Superintendent George Fornero said architectural drawings, specifications and bid sheets will be discussed at the Jan. 28 board of education meeting. District architect Perkins + Will has long recommended beefing up school entrances, Fornero said.

Vestibules, common in banks and courthouses, are a major physical component in security architecture. The steel and safety glass pathways are designed to slow down people entering a school building, and preserve sightlines so police officers and aides at the school can get a good look at them — either in person or via security monitors, said Fornero.

Fornero also noted that the district works closely with the Deerfield, Highland Park and Bannockburn police departments to review security procedures and practices.

Vestibule enhancement was on the district's radar long before tragedies at places such as Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, according to Fornero.

The superintendent said he's been studying school security since the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999. He said that metal detectors, profiling, and similar tactics have mostly proven ineffective.

"The best thing we can do is have an alert student body and staff," he said. "We need to know who's inside the school at all times and what's out of the ordinary. If a kid seems out of sorts today, most of the time it's nothing, but we just need to accept the fact that we need to be alert, be responsible and act appropriately."

Fornero said Deerfield High School should get an armed guard by July 1.

Board of Education member Annette Lidawer said that an 8- to 10-foot long vestibule, bounded by a second set of doors before a visitor moves inside, isolates and slows people down as they enter a building. She said that gives a security guard or school aide checking IDs time to determine if there is a threat.

A propped open door allegedly allowed James Holmes to enter a crowded theater in Aurora, Colo. and open fire, she said.

"If a door is propped open an alarm goes off, and we're looking at doing more (alarming of exit doors) in key areas," said Lidawer. "First of all it's an education process. A school building can no longer be a sieve."

"We're never going to stop that one person hell bent on doing harm," Lidawer added. "But we are going to do those things that make it much harder to get inside, without changing the climate inside the schools."

"Parents want to take for granted that their kids are safe, as well as the staff, especially in light of recent events, like Sandy Hook," said Andi Zazove, who has a child in District 113 and is a former president of the Parent Teacher Organization.

"But kids should feel a certain amount of freedom within a school, that they can learn in a safe environment," she added.

Zazove expressed optimism that district safety measures will remain an effective deterrent to violence.

She said the district has been pro-active for years, at the high school and elementary school levels, in addressing bullying in its various forms — physical, verbal and on the Internet.

"This school has a terrific relationship between the students and faculty," she said. "Students here know they can go to adults in the building, teachers, administrators or security, and they can talk. The school has some of the nicest security people you could ever meet, people who know many of the students on a first-name basis."